Metal Food Truck Winners Return to New York for ‘Victory Lap’

After coming out on top of the first 'Great Food Truck Race' (named after the Food Network show of the same name), what's a winning truck to do? If you're Los Angeles-area metal-themed burger truck Grill 'Em All, it's return to New York City, where they won the contest, for a "victory lap."

While the season finale of the show aired last month, it was taped back in May, and the only people that got to sample their winning burgers were either in the right place at the right time or beneficiaries of word of mouth. Now, loosely in conjunction with the CMJ Music Marathon, chefs Ryan Harkins and Matt Chernus will back to give New Yorkers a second chance to sample their wares.

The nod to Metallica isn't the only thing metal about Grill 'Em All. Among the burgers they'll be serving this week are concoctions named after Behemoth, Municipal Waste, Molly Hatchet and Blue Cheer -- and Burnt by the Sun drummer Dave Witte. Harkins and Chernus played in bands together before their venture into the ever-expanding food truck industry.

And one thing that may have helped push them over the edge during the competition was a plug by radio station WSOU, the only full-time college metal station in the New York area. By winning the contest, Grill 'Em All received $50,000, which they've used to sink back into the business. However, since it didn't logistically make sense to drive the truck back across the country, they'll be preparing their contest-winning food at various bars and restaurants around the city.

In addition to the burgers (which will be sold in limited quantities) later this week, the Grill 'Em All guys are throwing some exclusives into the mix. Thursday at Idle Hands Bar, they'll be unveiling their own barbecue sauce, Mosh Pitt, as part of the release party for metal cook book 'Mosh Potatoes.' They'll be back there the next day, serving a cocktail meatball version of the Behemoth burger and truffle tater tots.